The alkaline diet is based on evidence that suggests that acid-forming foods prevent the body from healing properly and the diet replaces those foods with alkaline options. Acid-forming foods leave an ash in your body as your system works to metabolize the food. This leaves your body acidic and potentially makes you more susceptible to diseases and illnesses. In contrast, alkaline foods keep your body basic and is believed to provide stronger protection for the body.

Alkaline foods have been shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, both of which are huge contributing factors to cardiovascular diseases. The diet can also influence and help with weight loss, which in turn reduces the risk of contracting type 2 diabetes and osteoarthritis. Though it has not yet been proven to prevent cancer, an alkaline diet can make some chemotherapy treatments more effective and less toxic on the body.

The diet focuses on eliminating acidic foods as often as possible and making alkaline items a main part of the food intake each day. View the great infographics below from Acid Alkaline Food to see a breakdown of which foods to stick with and which to avoid.

Here’s an extension to the list of alkaline foods to get you jump-started on the diet, if you’re interested: